Notes on Descriptive Writing

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Notes on Descriptive Writing
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Notes on Descriptive Writing

• In this unit you will learn
• Types of descriptive words
• Two types of description
• How to write a descriptive sentence
• Organizational patterns for paragraphs
• Tips for Writing Description

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Notes on Descriptive Writing
Think of descriptive writing as writing that
shows rather than tells.
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Types of Descriptive Words

• Concrete Words
• Polysymbolic Words
• Emotionally-impacted Words
• Figures of Speech

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Types of Descriptive Words

• Concrete Words

Words that stimulate an impression of one of the
five senses
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Types of Descriptive Words

• Polysymbolic Words

Words that stimulate multiple impressions of the
five senses
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Types of Descriptive Words

• Emotionally-impacted Words

Concrete and/or polysymbolic words that also
carry significant emotional value(s)
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Types of Descriptive Words

• Figures of Speech

Imaginative comparisons
Object A
Object B
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Types of Descriptive Words

• Figures of Speech

Imaginative comparisons
Object A
Object B
!
?
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Types of Descriptive Words

• Figures of Speech

Imaginative comparisons

• similes
• metaphors
• personification
• anthropomorphism
• synecdoche

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Types of Descriptive Words

• Similes

An indirect comparison using like or as
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Types of Descriptive Words

• Metaphors

A direct comparison suggesting a complete
transformation of Object A into Object B
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Types of Descriptive Words

• Types of Metaphors

1. Simple metaphor
2. Collapsed metaphor
3. Abstract metaphor
4. Inverted metaphor
5. Functional metaphor

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Types of Descriptive Words

• Types of Metaphors

• Simple metaphor
• John is a fox.

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Types of Descriptive Words

• Types of Metaphors

2. Collapsed metaphor John, the fox
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Types of Descriptive Words

• Types of Metaphors

3. Abstract metaphor _____, fox
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Types of Descriptive Words

• Types of Metaphors

4. Inverted metaphor foxy John
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Types of Descriptive Words

• Types of Metaphors

5. Functional metaphor That John! He sure
outfoxed me!
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Types of Descriptive Words

• Personification

Attributing life-like qualities to inanimate
objects/subjects
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Types of Descriptive Words

• Anthropomorphism

Attributing specific human-like qualities to
inanimate objects/ subjects
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Types of Descriptive Words

• Synecdoche

Referencing a part of one object to compare that
object with another
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Problems with Figures of Speech

• A Sample Paragraph
• Cool water flows through the rocky banks of the
  creek and into a wide pond. Reeds and cattails
  surrounding the bank embrace the pond like a
  mothers enfolding arms reaching out to caress
  her sleeping child. Like a beaming proud
  mothers eye, the sun drenches the scene with its
  loving warmth. Just beneath the sparkling
  surface of the water, minnows shoot from rock to
  rock like silver darts thrust like scattershot by
  some unseen hand.

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Problems with Figures of Speech

• A Sample Paragraph
• Cool water flows through the rocky banks of the
  creek and into a wide pond. Reeds and cattails
  surrounding the bank embrace the pond like a
  mothers enfolding arms reaching out to caress
  her sleeping child. Like a beaming proud
  mothers eye, the sun drenches the scene with its
  loving warmth. Just beneath the sparkling
  surface of the water, minnows shoot from rock to
  rock like silver darts thrust like scattershot by
  some unseen hand.

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Problems with Figures of Speech

• A Sample Paragraph
• Cool water flows through the rocky banks of the
  creek and into a wide pond. Reeds and cattails
  surround the bank. The sun drenches the scene
  with its warmth. Just beneath the sparkling
  surface of the water, like silver darts, minnows
  shoot from rock to rock.

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Two Types of Description

• Objective Description
• Subjective Description

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Two Types of Description

• Objective Description

technical description
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Two Types of Description

• Objective Description

Concrete Words Polysymbolic Words
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Two Types of Description

• Subjective Description

personal description
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Two Types of Description

• Subjective Description

Concrete Words Polysymbolic Words Emotionally-Impa
cted Words Figures of Speech
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Writing the Descriptive Sentence

• The descriptive sentence is always an
  abstraction with specific details.
• The descriptive sentence always focuses on
  the subject or the predicate.
• The descriptive sentence supports an
  objectiveone part of the paragraph or
  another.

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Writing the Descriptive Sentence

• The descriptive sentence is always an
  abstraction with specific details.

Descriptive sentences never present all the
images each sentence creates a limited picture.
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Writing the Descriptive Sentence

• The descriptive sentence always focuses on
  the subject or the predicate.

Subject -- Predicate
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Writing the Descriptive Sentence

• The descriptive sentence always focuses on
  the subject or the predicate.

Subject Noun Verb Object Nouns
Who? What? Where? When? How?
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Writing the Descriptive Sentence

• The descriptive sentence supports an
  objectiveone part of the paragraph or
  another.

Clarifies the main idea of the topic
sentence Clarifies primary development Clarifies
secondary development
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Writing the Descriptive Sentence
A sample descriptive sentence The blue-grey
laptop computer, perched on the parquet-laminated
kitchen table, cluttered with books and papers,
displays the PowerPoint abstract
backgroundsoftly blended graphics that fade into
white, punctuated with stiff, black letters.
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Writing the Descriptive Sentence
A better descriptive sentence On its two back
legs, the blue-grey laptop computer perched on
the parquet-laminated kitchen table. (subjective
description)
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Writing the Descriptive Sentence
An alternative descriptive sentence Raised on
back legs, the blue-grey laptop computer was set
on the parquet-laminated kitchen
table. (objective description)
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Basic Patterns for Organizing Effective
Description

• Directional Organization
• Spatial Organization
• Psychological Organization

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Basic Patterns for Organizing Effective
Description

• Directional Organization

Order of the Compass Linear Chronological Sequenti
al
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Basic Patterns for Organizing Effective
Description

• Spatial Organization

General to Specific/Specific to General Small to
Large/Large to Small Front to Back/Back to
Front Inside to Outside/Outside to Inside
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Basic Patterns for Organizing Effective
Description

• Psychological Organization

Most important to least important Least important
to most important Associative (familiarity) Non-as
sociative (random)
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Sample Paragraph 1

• Facing east, the house rests atop two acres of
  farmland. The gated drive begins at the highway
  and winds in a gentle S across the grassy front
  lawn and ends at the garage to the left of the
  main house. Behind the house stretches freshly
  plowed ground, rows ranging from left to right.
  A line of oaks crowns the crest of the property.

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Sample Paragraph 2

• Resting deeply back in his chair, his feet
  crossed on the corner of his desk, Dr. Marsh is
  fast asleep. The few silver-grey strands of hair
  sweep back from his receding hairline. His lips
  sealed loosely, his wide chin rests comfortably
  over his neck. A pair of black reading glasses
  dangle on the end of his nose. His chest rises
  and falls as he snores softly in a slow rhythm.
  His pulpy hands are folded in his lap over a
  brown folder of loose pages.

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Tips for Descriptive Writing

• Focus the descriptive words on the subject or
  predicate.
• Dont overwork the detail.
• Arrange descriptive sentences consistently,
  following an organizational plan.
• Keep descriptive detail objective in business
  communications.
• Use description along with other
  developmental patterns.

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